Bitter-sweet Agony
by Banana Flake
Summary: Nico being an older student at Otonkizaka academy abuses her power to oppress those (she) she doesn't particularly enjoy. [Exaggerated characters (Nico & Maki) hopefully not too OOC, because that's not what i'd describe them as. Might write another chapter if requested.]


**I've been very unenthusiastic towards writing recently (As you'd know, my failure to update, etc.) and I really do apologize. **  
><strong>I suppose with demand, I feel more rushed and I really want to provide quality in what I do so not only do you enjoy it more, but I also have that satisfaction of knowing I wrote well in my chapters and stories. <strong>  
><strong>Everything you've asked me for (New chapters for Complication, Oh, for heavens sake!, Unplanned pregnancy, etc) are coming along slowly, but surely. <strong>  
><strong>I hope that doesn't inconvenience you much in any way, and if it does, again, I am sorry.<br>**  
><strong>WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, LET THIS NEW FIC COMMENCE!<strong>

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><p>"Hey you, Slanted-eyes!" A piercing, demanding voice called, "Give me cheek again and i'll give you after school clean up duty for the rest of the week!"<p>

Maki hissed under her breath at this before she slapped the floor with a sopping wet mop, working it into figure 8 motions and began cleaning the floor.

Nishikino Maki was a first-year at Otonkizaka academy in Tokyo, Japan.  
>She was one of the wealthier students enrolled at this old, traditional high school...so why on earth was she being forced to endure manual labor?<p>

Her jaw set as she felt the weight of _that_ persons gaze on her back while she worked her muscles raw to make the floor spotless.

The current antagonist was one of the older students at the academy.  
>A third-year, around 17 years of age.<br>Well surely, she must be.

She wore the green senior ribbon on her uniform each day up against her collar bone and above her pink sweater, proudly on her chest.  
>Though, in Maki's opinion, the girl looked to be about 12.<p>

There were many elements to the girls person that just made the assumption possibly too easy.  
>She was shorter than the average of the third-year students. Her chest wasn't as full as other young women her age.<br>The girl wore a _pink_ sweater for crying out loud!  
>Her voice was high and so were her pigtails, secured in her raven hair with bold red ribbons that matched her crimson eyes.<br>It was wrapped up so neatly, _anyone_ were to make the same mistake Maki did, right?

It was that assumption itself that caused Maki to fall on her ass, theoretically speaking.

Maki suppressed a grunt of exertion.  
>What was this person's deal, anyway?<br>Maki for one just wasn't sure what it was she did to offend her senior to deserve to be punished so mercilessly.

It didn't help that Maki's bully was a full 3.5 inches shorter than her, which meant although the girl outranked her in grade and age, in a fight she was sure she would win.

Wait, _brawling?_ Maki was born into a family of upper class etiquette, she even had lessons on how to sit as a lady should.  
>She was drilled with manners and polite conduct way back when she was still learning to speak in full sentences.<br>The girl hadn't ever raised her voice at anyone, so what made her think of raising her_ fists? _

She gulped at the very abnormal, evident spike in her temper, dunking the mop back in the water bucket really took the edge off her boiling mood.  
>This wasn't like her and this wasn't the start to her junior year she really thought out for herself.<p>

Maki never planned that she'd be angry or aggressive, not to her peers and certainly not to an upperclassmen.

Ringing out the yarn of the mop before smacking the absorbent material back against the floor. Picturing it as her bully's face settled her thoughts of rage and she felt calm and logical once again.

Maki heard small commotion occurring in the back of the room.  
>As it had also been the direction she was facing at the time, she raised her head to spot the other first-years signalling the only person behind Maki, the <em>bully<em>, asking if they were clear to leave.  
>The girls Makis' age nodded and exited the room quietly, leaving only two behind in the sunset lit classroom.<p>

She and _her.  
><em>The infamous older girl who seemed to have it out for Maki since day one- which was damn orientation day for _Pete's sake! _

Maki swirled the mop's head back and forth as she stepped timely with each stroke, backing closer to the controlling senior that had seated herself informally on a desk, swinging her slim legs as an occupation.  
>An occupation besides hounding Maki for obedience, <em>that is.<em>

Maki really didn't want anymore chores assigned to her which made the pressure of not screwing up around the small third-year even greater.  
>Swishing the soaking yarn further under the desk which the 17 year old refused to remove herself from, the first-year successfully not leaving any piece of floor untouched to her knowledge.<p>

After she plonked the mop back in the bucket of water she was given at the beginning of her chores, she huffed in a small victory.  
>Not letting too much of her prideful energy cross her face.<p>

There was a small pause before a comment made by Makis' bully burst out the girls' mouth and flew airborne in the small, tension-fat space between the two of them.

"...You _missed_ a spot." Words that made the first-year flinch and wince simultaneously.

"_What!_" Maki shouted through gritted teeth, eyes beaming with a rage that could pierce through the earths core.  
>Her cool front shattered back to the unsettling, red-hot emotions that bubbled beneath her skin.<br>Young Nishikino acting like a glow stick. Cracked, shaken-up and charged bright and smoldering.

"...Huh?" The older girl grunted, cocking her head to the side.  
>A more than evident expression of confusion stained her childish features, making Maki feel crazy for her small outburst, as if it wasn't justified.<br>The short moment of uncertainty caused Makis crisp anger to fizzle yet again.

The high, and maybe even _cute_ pitch the third-year switched to on impulse subdued the junior quickly.

"Look, it's just up the back in the far corner." The elevated girl pointed out, gesturing to the back of the classroom with her small hand along with her ruby gaze, enticing Maki to glance at the suggested area briefly.  
>"The other first-years were occupying the space before hand, so that's probably why you couldn't get to it earlier." The petite third-year added coolly.<p>

To say Maki felt mixed up on her emotions about the short third-year would be a complete understatement.  
>The older girl was in this constant insult, then compliment repetition of well engineered torture.<p>

It made Maki feel as if she were shoved off the edge of a cliff, but grabbed and saved by the same hands that pushed her in the first place.  
>It jumbled up her insides and made her feel nauseous, and not even in a bad way.<p>

She hated it though...she was almost 50% certain she hated it.

"Clean the back corner then I suppose you can head home to your mansion, _Princess_." The third-year knocked, obviously ruffling Maki's feathers with a knowing look and a smirk present on her mouth.

_'Princess'?_  
>Maki squinted at this new nickname the haughty pink-sweater wearing 17 year-old gave her.<br>If word spread at Otonkizaka of the Nishikino wealth, it sure hadn't taken them long to figure it out.

As Maki herself wasn't very extroverted or active in social events, it usually made it hard for anyone to learn much about her redheaded self.  
>It was an interesting dynamic that students knew of her family business of <em>all things.<em>

The junior carried her still damp mop to the back corner behind the last row of desks, slapped the yarn down and gave it a few half decent whirls for whatever it was worth.

The short senior scoffed lightly when looked downward the spotless floor, hand on her schoolbag's strap before she praised the redhead.  
>"You've done a great job..."<br>The small girls' words were soft spoken, but impacted the first-year immensely.

Maki could feel her face prickle with heat and although she had finished mopping, she chose to keep facing away.

"You can go now, Slanted-eyes. 'Cause I sure am." The older girl finished with a sigh.  
>Walking with no interference out the classroom door and adding in "Hope you didn't break a nail working so hard." along with laughter that carried down the hallway in the girls amusement.<p>

The first-year remained stationary until all sounds of the other person had ceased.

Not being entirely sure where to store the mop and bucket, she tucked it against the side of the room and out of the way.  
>She knew not to be negligent in times of uncertainty.<p>

She grabbed her bag and slung it over her tired shoulder, her blazer folded over her forearm as she walked slowly down the hallway.

Maki felt offended on some level, but also pleased that her recent encounter with her 'bully' hadn't gone as atrociously as the few earlier in the year.  
>But now she wasn't entirely sure if her bully <em>was<em> her bully anymore.

If it were just hate, the dynamic between Ms. Nishikino herself and the nameless third-year would be a lot more simple, but this was something of another kind.  
>A force not even the knowledgeable Maki knew a word or term for.<br>At least, not yet.

Her head swirled further with the bitter-sweet feelings the petite senior inspired within her as she bit her lip in a feeble attempt to cancel out the sweet and flattered tingles she still felt.

Knowing this insanity, this uncertainty and the extraordinary confusion wouldn't stand by so calmly.

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><p><strong>Howdy, Ya'll! Banana Flake here!<strong>

**For this story I was thinking of a more exaggerated, realistic role for Nico and Maki as well. **  
><strong>Maki being wealthy and attractive, but not knowing necessarily how to obey people she doesn't consider authority figures (Nico) and not really being used to having to work off punishment (Like the working class citizens do for income, something Nico's family would be more in touch with). <strong>  
><strong>&amp; Nico asserting her age dominance over Maki because 1, she (like everyone else at Otonkizaka) learns of Maki's wealth (Which she doesn't have and it makes her angry to a degree) and 2, to stay relevant to her junior for her own personal reasons.<br>I also wanted to make the age contrast between them somewhat more evident, as where I live, it is so.**

**Really hope you enjoyed this fic. I cannot wait to hear back from you!  
>Thank you so much for reading!<br>~ Banana flake **


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